Treatment of ores containing nickel.



' UNITED sTA rns eA'rENT' OFFICE.

RALPH w. n. MACIVOR, or

CORPORATION LIMi'iED, OF

LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO METALS EXTRACTION LONDON, ENGLAND, A CORPORA'ilON TREATMENT OF ORES CONTAINING NICKEL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH WALno EMERSON Mae- Ivon, a subject oithe King oi-Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Treatment of tires (ontaining Nickel; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in the treatment of ores containing nickel whereby the latter metal is first concentrated into amatte or rcgulus which is afterwards subjected to a process of slow roa ting to convert the metallic suliidscomposing the matte into the corresponding sulfates.

Oxidation having been effected by usual means, the temperature of the reverberatery furnace in which the operation is being carried on is gradually raised to and maintained at the point of complete declnnposition oi the sulfate of iron present in the roasted mass, the suilate of nickel (cobalt if present) and copper (it prcsent) being left unaltered. 'ihcse lat ter salts are obtained in solution by throwing, the hot mass from the furnace into water acidulatcd with sulfuric acid to an extentv dependent upon the copper in the ore under treatment.

This solution is allowed to settle, drawn oil from the oxid oi iron and other sedimentary matter andtreated by known methods for the recovery of its copper contcnts. After the extraction of the copper the nickel and cobalt are precipitated from the solution by milk of magnesia or lime, or by soda, in the form ol'oxids, and these are collected and dealt with by known methods.

The method of forming the matte or rcgulus from tile ore varies with the character and composition of the latter, but the agent employed is in every case sodium suilid conta'iningan excess of sulfur over the proportion Specification of Letters Patent.

l l l li Patented July 9, 1997.

Application filed February 2,1906- Serial. No. 299,17 9.

contained in the normal suliid Na s. In the case of suliid arsenical ores a previous dead roasting is essential. in order to get rid of the arsenic, whereas with ores oi the double silicate of nickel and magnesia type (garncrite) no prclimiintry roasting is necessary before mixing with the sodium sultid.

To carry out the operation ol' iorming thematic the roasted or unroastcd ore as the 'ase may be is thoroughly mixed with from one fourth to one half its weight oi the suliid oi sodium above described and not tnotc than live per cent oi' carbon prcita'ably ground anthracite coal. 'ihis mixture is made into block 01 bricks with water and these after being dried suii'c cicntiy to allow of handling, are smeltcd either in a rcvcrln-ratory furnace or in a water jacketed cupola oi low height to minimize the reduction of iron.

Having now described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patcnt'is2- l. The process oi treating; ores containing nickel, copper. cobalt and iron. which consists in forming a matte or rcgulus from the ore by mixing the ore with sullid of sodium containing an excess of sulfur and a smnll quan: tity ot carbon, heating the mixture under oxidizing couditlons to change the metallic suliids into sulfates, further hentin the nmss to decompose the sulfate oi iron, immersing the hot mass in ucidulutcti water to extract the copper, nickel and cninlli. and treating the product with an alkaline hydrate in solution to precipitate the n he] vand cobalt. substantially as described.

2.. in the process oi treating ores containing nickel, the step otforming: a matte or renulus. which consistn in mikln the suitably treated re with sultld of sodium (:01)- tainin an excess of sulfur and a small quantity of carbon, substantially as described. I

in witness whereof i have hereunto set my hand in presence oi hvo-wiinesses.

nam'lt w. n. MAQIVOR. 

